This is the last of a three-part series of articles profiling the men's basketball team's Class of 1998.
Today: Ricky Price
Many people search the hills of California with the hopes of finding gold -- priceless gold. Duke's latest prospect from the West Coast might be considered golden, but he definitely has his Price.
Ricky Price became the third guard to join head coach Mike Krzyzewski's recruiting class of 1998 when he signed his letter-of-intent during the November signing period. Price, who currently attends Serra High School in Gardena, Calif., is a 6-6 player who can play at both guard positions and in the small forward slot.
He played his first three prep years at Long Beach's St. Anthony's High School, where he averaged 25.7 points and 10.3 rebounds per game in his junior year. He then transferred to Serra, to play under the leadership of head coach Dwan Hurt. Hurt realized right from the start that Price was a player that demanded respect.
"We played against Ricky when he was a freshman [at St. Anthony's], and Ricky went for 36 points against us, and we had a pretty good, talented team that year," Hurt said. "As a freshman, to score 36 points, that says a lot about his ability.
"That's when we really believed that not only would he be someone to be reckoned with in the league, but also be able to be ranked nationally."
Despite the fact that Hurt realized Price was a big-time player in just his freshman season, Price himself didn't fully recognize his potential until this past summer, when he traveled across the country attending various basketball camps.
One of the camps that Price was invited to was the elite Nike Top 40 Camp, where all of the highly-recruited high school players go to display their potential against one another. It was there that Price definitely found out that he was ready for the college scene.
"I had a pretty good summer," Price said. "I played at several camps. I played on several tournament teams, and I did well. I fared well against the competition. I think during the summer time I really knew that I could do well at the next level, either in the Atlantic Coast Conference or the Big Eight Conference."
Price's reference to the Big Eight comes from the fact that he was being pursued by both Kansas and Duke. Price's decision to become a Blue Devil was solidified only days before he officially signed.
One of Price's reasons for choosing Duke over the Jayhawks was its academic reputation -- a reason that becomes obvious when he speaks of his overall goals for his college career.
"First and foremost, I want to graduate in four years," Price said. "Basketball-wise, I know Coach K will give me a fair chance. I would love to go in there and fight for a starting position. I guess that's one of my first goals."
Now that Duke has already inked three guards for its men's basketball class of 1998, Price knows that he will have to play well in order to earn playing time. But he also realizes the advantage of having a deep bench, with numerous players that have the potential to start.
"Over the years, the teams with the most depth have won," Price said. "With the recruits coming in, and the players already there, that, once again, is going to make things more competitive. But in the long run, that's going to make us better.
"I'm going to go in there, and I'm going to play well. Coach is going to roll the ball out, and whoever plays best will be [the] starting five. If I'm playing to my potential, I don't see why I couldn't start."
His chances to earn a starting slot could be enhanced by both his size and his ability to play multiple positions. Price believes his game is best suited for the perimeter, yet feels he can make the adjustment to other spots on the floor.
"Coach told me that he wants me on the perimeter, and nowhere else," Price said. "Because I'm more like, I hate to say this, the Grant Hill type, where he's more versatile, I can play the one, two, or three. [Coach K] might take advantage of that. Other than that, I think I'll be on the perimeter."
With Price making comparisons to Duke's current All-American, it seems that Blue Devil fans have much to look forward to from their latest California prospect.
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